EXCALIBER

"thenne he drewe his swerd Excalibur,

but it was so breyght in his enemyes

eyen that it gaf light lyke thirty torchys"

The legend of King Arthur and the Excalibur sword not only exists in Medieval England, Japan’s Kusanagi, or snake sword, has a mythical, romanticism surrounding it. As the legend goes, the sword was discovered by Susano - the Shinto god of the sea and storms - in the province of Izumo (modern-day Shimane Prefecture) inside the tail of a freshly-slaughtered 8-headed snake. It eventually ended up in the Imperial Palace and was passed down through the imperial line. In 686, the sword was moved from the imperial court in Nara to Nagoya’s Atsuta Shrine after the sword was blamed for the Emperor’s ill health, and subsequent death. Along with the jewel and the mirror, it is one of the three imperial regalia of Japan, the sword representing the virtue of valor.

The Kusanagi sword is kept at Atsuta Shrine to this day, although it is not available for public display, and its existence cannot be confirmed. During the Edo period, a Shinto priest claimed to have seen the sword and supposedly perished shortly after when the sword’s curse caught up with him. There are many alternate theories as to the true fate of the sword - lost in battle, lost at sea, stolen by monks - but as long as the shrine insists it has the true sword and keeps it hidden from view, the legend will continue.

Excalibur, King Arthur's magical sword, is said to symbolize both destruction and fertility. In one version of the legends of Arthur, the future king proved his right to rule by pulling Excalibur out of a stone, which no other man could do.

Arthur as proof of his birthright and of his nobility draws the Sword in the Stone, sometimes referred to as a sword in an anvil. It is both a test and a miraculous sign of his royalty.

The Welsh name for Excalibur was Caladvwlch and the Irish called it Caladbolg, the name of the sword used by heros in Irish legends derived from the calad (hard) and blog (lightning).

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In surviving accounts of Arthur, there are two originally separate legends about the sword’s origin. The first is the "Sword in the Stone" legend, originally appearing in Robert de Boron’s poem Merlin, in which Excalibur can only be drawn from the stone by Arthur, the rightful king. The second comes from the later Post-Vulgate Suite du Merlin, which was taken up by Sir Thomas Malory. Here, Arthur receives Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake after breaking his first sword in a fight with King Pellinore. The Lady of the Lake calls the sword "Excalibur, that is as to say as Cut-steel," and Arthur takes it from a hand rising out of the lake.

Picture from the Sam Neill site

As Arthur lies dying, he tells Sir Bedivere (Sir Griflet in some versions) to return his sword to the lake by throwing it into the water. Bedivere is reluctant to throw away such a precious sword, so twice he only pretends to do so. Each time, Arthur asks him to describe what he saw. When Bedivere tells him the sword simply fell into the water, Arthur scolds him harshly. Finally, Bedivere throws Excalibur into the lake. Before the sword strikes the water’s surface, a hand reaches up to grasp it and pulls it under. Arthur leaves on a death barge with the three queens to Avalon, where as his legend says, he will one day return to rule in Britain’s darkest hour.

Malory records both versions of the legend in his Le Morte d’Arthur, and confusingly calls both swords Excalibur. The film Excalibur attempts to rectify this by having only one sword, which Arthur inherits through his father and later breaks; the Lady of the Lake then repairs it.

The story of the Sword in the Stone has an analogue in some versions of the story of Sigurd (the Norse proto-Siegfried), who draws his father Sigmund’s sword out of a tree where it is embedded.

In several early French works such as Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval, the Story of the Grail and the Vulgate Lancelot Proper section, Excalibur is used by Gawain, Arthur’s nephew and one of his best knights. This is in contrast to later versions, where Excalibur belongs solely to the king. In the Alliterative Morte Arthure, Arthur is said to have two legendary swords, the second one being Clarent, stolen by the evil Mordred. Arthur receives his fatal blow from Clarent.

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Merlin cast the sword into a great stone,
to be released by the greatest king ever known.
One day Camelot faced it's darkest hour,
along came Arthur to release it's power.
With his mighty Knights under his command,
Arthur and Excalibur wiped out evil across the land.
Excalibur was then given to the Lady Of The Lake,
waiting once again for the mighty king to come and take.
The greatest king of English Lore,
his legend shall live forever more.

~unknown~

King Arthur left his mark

We have all heard of the stories and seen the movies of this great character and his famous sword "Excalibur". Some people believe that King Arthur is so tied up in Celtic Mythology that he must in origin , have been a "God". Arthur in his earliest form appears almost mythical. A written article from October 23, 1998 reads: " The first tangible evidence that legendary King Arthur may really have existed has been found in the ruins of Tintagel castle in Cornwall.

The find at Tintagel, considered one of the Arthurian "sites," is a piece of slate dating from the sixth century, marked with a Latin inscription which translates as: "Artognou, father of a descendent of Coll, has made this." The name, pronounced Artnou, is similar to Arthur and may refer to the legendary King of Britain, says the British Tourist Authority.

The only 20th-century building dedicated to Arthur is also at Tintagel. King Arthur's Great Halls was built in 1993 of Cornish granite by millionaire Frederick Glasscock. It was built with 73 stained-glass windows with Arthurian themes and contains a granite throne and round tables."

(taken from the Moncton Times and Transcript October 98)

This Arthurian romance story has been told and retold for centuries, but rarely from the perspective of one of my favorite characters; Merlin the wizard and nobody has potrayed him better than the one and only Sam Neill. This is one my favorites of all legends of Arthur. This is the synopsis from the 1998 movie of;

Merlin

 

Before Excalibur, before the knights of the round table, before Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot and Galahad, there was a sorcerer shrouded in the mists..... and this is his tale.

As the voice of an elderly wizard tells of a time long ago, we open on Merlin, astride his faithful steed, Sir Rupert, making his annual pilgrimage to Avalon Abbey. The Father Abbott takes Merlin to see his long lost love, Nimue,whose veiled face reveals nothing, but through whose eyes is revealed a pure and eternal love. Merlin tells her of Arthur, a man he believes to be pure of heart, "golden, fine, handsome.....everything I dreamed he'd be." Arthur had brought Merlin important news: King Uther is dead. Merlin of course already knew, and told the startled young man that now he, Arthur, will become King. Why? Because he was born to it.... because Uther was his father.

And so, the old wizard recounts the old times... the bloody times...the terrible times.

King Constant, Arthur's grandfather was the first Christain King of England. Constant was a good man, who, in his later years, became fearful and tyrannical. During his final battle he screams at the leader of the victorious opposing forces, Vortigern, "My son, Uther, will avenge me. You'll never sleep easy, knowing he will come for you!" As Constant is beheaded, the crown of England rolls across the floor to Vortigern, who crowns himself king. Thus began a calamitous civil war which tore the country apart. Christain churches are destroyed and defiled, as are the sacred places of the old pagan religion.

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The country and it's people drown in blood, A dying woman begs Queen Mab,(a powerful, charismatic and darkly beautiful woman) to help the blood shed. At first, Mab demurs, "I can't. Too many people have forsaken the Old Ways...I no longer have the power." The woman pushes her to help. "Save us, and the people will come back to you, and the peace they lost when they forsook you." Mab seeing her destiny, makes a commitment: "I will save them,and the Old Ways. I swear it!"

Mab informs her sister, the beautiful, fair haired Lady of the Lake of her momentous decision." I'm going to create a leader for the people," she declares. "A powerful wizard who'll save Britain and bring back the people to us and the Old Ways."

The Lady of the Lake cautions her sister to be wary, that her task may drain what powers she still has. Mab, however, vows to fight on, telling her sister that if people stop believing in the Old Ways, Mab and her kind will cease to exist.

Mab conjures Merlin out of a dazzling array of colored crystals. Frik, her gnome, and manservant, watches awestruck.

Thus Merlin is born, to Elissa,who, after serving her purpose, is abandoned by Mab to die. However, recognizing that it takes more than tricks to raise a child, Mab drafts a former follower, Ambrosia, to raise Merlin into adulthood. She reminds Ambrosia that Merlin is only half human, and she will send for him"when it's time."

Years pass and a teenage Merlin is love-struck by the beautiful Nimue, daughter of Lord Ardent. When, on a journey, she sinks into a treacherous mudhole, Merlin first becomes aware of the special power with which he has been blessed/cursed. He holds out a branch for her to grasp, to save herself. It is not long enough. Merlin wills it in his mind to grow. It does! Nimue is saved and Merlin returns to Ambrosia's cottage to announce, "I've seen her! The most beautiful girl in the world. We'll love each other always!" For Ambrosia, the news is bittersweet. Merlin's knowledge of his powers means the moment she's been dreading since he was born and she became his surrogate has arrived. Merlin must be returned to Mab. A golden horse materializes to take Merlin away. Ambrosia parting words will haunt him forever: "Magic has no power over the human heart. Never stop fighting for what is right."

Frik guides Merlin to Queen Mab, who annonces to the assembled throng of fairies and elves, "This is Merlin, who comes to save us. He will bring the people back to the Old Ways!" She tells Merlin that she will teach him to become the most powerful wizard the world has ever known.

The schooling doesn't go smoothly. As "schoolmaster" Frik informs Mab, "In his heart he doesn't like magic. The truth is he wants to go home." And he does. Much to Mab's disgust , Merlin becomes a runaway, desperate to return to Ambrosia , the only mother he has ever known. When he reaches Ambrosia's cottage, she is near death. She is able, however, to issue a final injunction to young Merlin: "Remember to only listen to your heart." As Ambrosia dies, Merlin vents his rage on Mab: "You killed her like you killed my real mother!" Mab tells him she is sorry about his mother and Ambrosia, but they were casualties of war, and she's fighting to save her people from extinction.

Over the grave of the beloved Ambrosia, a crestfallen Merlin declares," I'll only ever use my power's to defeat Queen Mab, never to help her...this I swear."

Nimue, meanwhile, grows into a stunningly beautiful woman. We next encounter her when she's with her father, Lord Ardent, a fawning courtier at Vortigern's campsite. Vortigern is nervous about Ardent's loyalty, he suspects the Lord 's real attachment is to his archenemy, Prince Uther. Vortigern announces he's taking Nimue hostage, telling Ardent to remain loyal and she will be returned. A betrayal to Uther will mean certain death! Vortigern is confounded trying to build a tower for his new castle. Merlin is drafted to lend his special talent to the exercise. While doing so, he has a vision: two dragons, one red, one white. The white one represents Vortigern, the red one Uther. In Merlin's imagination, the red dragon triumphs.

Vortigern is in awe of Merlin's power. Forewarned about Uther's strategy, he can act decisively. He acknowledges Merlin's extraordinary gifts, but ever fearful of betrayal, tosses Merlin into prison.

In jail, Merlin is reunited with his lovely Nimue, who asks his greatest wish. Merlin reveals his vision of England at peace, an England of kindness and chivalry, an England where men and woman feel secure, without hatred and envy, where misery is unknown and happiness is for all.

Despite Merlin's superhuman efforts to save her from the omnipowerful dragon, Nimue is badly burned by the rampaging, fire breathing giant. Merlin takes the gravely injured Nimue to Avalon, where the nuns of the Great Abbey, using their knowledge of ancient herbs and potions, struggle to save Merlin's beloved.

At Pendragon Castle, the Duke of Cornwall presents his wife the magnificent Igraine, and his daughter Morgan Le Fey, to newly installed King Uther. Uther is overwhelmed by Ingrain's beauty; his carnal desire apparent. He tells Merlin he wants her more than anything in the world. "How great is your power?", he asks the wizard. "Can you make a woman love me?" Merlin says, " No! Magic can't create love." Uther reminds Merlin that he possesses Excalibur. A dispirited Merlin offers to attempt a spell and Uther returns Excalibur. Merlin, in one swift move, drives the sword into a rock, thereby waking the Mountain King. Merlin asks him to be the caretaker of Excalibur, "Untill a good man takes it from you!" Uther tries to extricate Excalibur from the rock. Naturally, his attempt fails.

Uther lays a month long siege to the Duke of Cornwall at Tintagel Castle. Sir Boris reminds Uther that the kingdom is falling apart while they tear themselves to pieces. And he adds incredulously, "All this for a woman!"

Much to Uthers surprise, Merlin offers to help him bed the Lady Igraine. As long as Igraine's husband, the Duke of Cornwall isn't harmed. Why, Uther wonders would the virtuous Merlin back such an adulterous plot? Because Uther and Igraine will have a child, a boy.. and that child will be Merlin's! Uther asks what Merlin plans to do with the boy. "Teach him honor and goodness." Merlin responds

When the Duke leaves Tintagel one evening, Merlin transforms Uther into the Duke. The castle guards, not knowing of the duplicity, permit Uther to reenter the grounds. When Uther has his way with Igraine, the not so little Morgan Le Fey knows exactly what's up. Meanwhile the Duke, the real Duke, is killed by Uther's men, even though letting him live was a condition of Merlin's help.

As predicted, Igraine gives birth to a child, Arthur. Merlin exults that at last, he will have a good man, a good king. However, the perpetually scheming Mab deflates his expectations. She tells Merlin he is easily fooled, that Uther's child is damned, done when Uther killed the Duke, "Arhtur will be as his father. Because of him, the chaos of blood will go on, and the people will return to Mab and the Old Ways."

Merlin tutors the young Arthur, not magic, but ethics, morals and the responsibilities of being a good king. The pair ride to Excalibur, a whole village has sprung up 'round the sword in the rock! Arhtur confides to Merlin that he is ready, and wants to be king. He pledges to do as he was taught, and will build a golden city, Camelot, devoted to peace and charity.

As Arthur grasps the sword, the face of the Mountain king appears in the rock. The young man identifies himself as the only son of Uther, (who by the way committed suicide after the shameful death of the Duke) and the rightful king of Briton. Mab appears and urges the Mountain King not to give Excalibur to Arthur "He'll betray the people just as his father did." she says. The Mountain King decrees that the boy has a good heart, and permits Arthur to extract Excalibur from the Rock. Blood drips from his hands as Arthur pulls the fiery sword from the stone. Mab declares ominously, "His reign begins in blood and will end the same way."

Arhtur is crowned king, although powerful Lord Lot refuses to recognize him as such. Lot's son, Gawain, however, does swear allegiance to the new ruler. Peace is eventually obtained when Arthur is magnanimous on the battlefield and Lord Lot finally acknowledges him as the new king.

Meanwhile, Frik, acting as always, at the behest of Mab, goes to work on Morgan Le Fey, transforming her from a wretch into a vision of beauty. The grand plan? Perhaps if Morgan (as Arthur, an offspring of Igraine) had a son, he could become king! Frik introduces the nefarious Morgan (who takes on the bogus title of Lady Marie, Queen of the Border Celts) to King Arthur, who not knowing she is his half sister, is smitten with her.

Merlin, unaware of Mab's machinations and believing his work was done, retired to Avalon to be with his beloved Nimue. But as he sits beside the sleeping Nimue, he sees the obscene image of Arthur and his half sister Morgan Le Fey making love. Merlin races to Pendragon Castle and confronts Arthur, who, horrified, admits everything. Merlin utters a dreadful prediction:"There will be a child. Mab will see to that. He'll be the future, and he will destroy us."

The unrelenting Mab returns to work on another front. She allows Nimue to see a tantalizing image of herself without the hiddeous burn scars, her beauty restored. Mab makes her an offer: If she'll take Merlin away to a place she's created for them, Mab will restore Nimue's beauty permanetely, and she can live in bliss with Merlin until the end of her days. Although obviously torn, Nimue says she can't accept the offer, it would mean Merlin would have to abandon his cause.

On a glorious site of rolling hills and magnificent countryside, the vision of Camelot is close to completion. Arthur announces to Merlin that he is going to marry Guinevere, Lord Leo's daughter. As a wedding gift, Merlin presents the couple with a tiny wooden table, with roots like a tree. "It's a perfect circle, he tells Arthur, If you plant it in Camelot it will grow. It will come to symbolize everything we stand for."

 

For his part, Arthur vows to atone for his sins with Morgan. "One day, he declares, I'll find the Holy Grail."

The years pass....At Camelot, it seems that Guinevere has brought the priceless gift of happiness. But all good things must end, or so it seems. Merlin begs Morgan Le Fey not to teach her young son (fathered by Arthur) Mordred, the Old Ways. Morgan haughtily refuses his request. Mab meanwhile, tells the young hellion that he "will be the death of Arthur and the end of all Merlin's dreams."

Merlin seeks out the Lady of the Lake (Mab's benevolent sister) to help him find a man to guard the throne when Arthur quests for the Holy Grail. "You need a man pure of heart," says the Lady, and offers to take Merlin by ship to Joyous Gard.That's where Merlin finds Lancelot, his wife, the Lady Elaine, and their son Galahad. Lancelot is a "charismatic figure, perhaps a little too handsome and certainly a little too complacent." Merlin explains that he's come to find a man to stand for King Arthur in his kingdom. Lancelot agrees to embark upon what his wife describes as "one last great adventure." Returning to Camelot, Lancelot defeats Gawain in a jousting tournament and wins the right to serve as protector of Guinevere's virture while Arthur is searching for the Grail.

And then IT falls apart...........................

Mab, of course is the force masterminding the chaos. Lancelot falls in love with Guinevere. Mab makes sure Lancelot's wife, Elaine, witnesses the act of unfaithfulness and Elaine dies of a broken heart. Nimue seeing the hopelessness of the situation, finally makes a pact with Mab, Nimue agrees to go to a faraway place, from which she can never return, if Merlin will come to her there. A joyous Mab promises her he will.

Mab wrests Mordred from his mother, Morgan Le Fey, who subsequently dies after "slipping" on some stairs. Frik, ever enamored of Morgan, has lost his beloved and secretly tums against Mab at that moment.

Merlin tells Nimue he must be by the dying Arthur's side. Nimue makes the supreme sacrifice, she knows if Merlin leaves, he can never return to her. Unselfishly, and with pure love, she urges him to go quickly.

Arthur dies. A grief stricken Merlin rushes to the water's edge and hurls Excalibur high into the air. "You lied to me," he tells the Lady of the Lake. "No" she says, "I told you the answer was at Joyous Gard." Merlin suddenly (and far too late) realizes the protector, the man with the pure heart, was never Lancelot, it was the boy, Galahad!

Mourning the death of her "sweet" Mordred, Mab swears to make the whole pay for her loss and the last great battle, Mab vs. Merlin, is joined. Mab throws swirling bursts of fire at him, but each is expertly parried by Merlin. He refuses to retaliate. He just lets Mab expend her waning powers. When Mab unleashes a mighty torrent of water at him, Merlin freezes it en route. Merlin's ultimate strategy? To have all simply "forget" Mab. And with that, Merlin, Frik, Gawain, and the whole army, simply turn their backs on the now powerless sorceress. "You can't fight us or frighten us," Merlin tells her "You're just not important enough anymore. We forget you Queen Mab. Go and join your sister in the lake and be forgotten.

In the distance, Galahad appears riding through the winter landscape, carrying the Holy Grail...a silver cup shinning with magnificent light.

Old Merlin recounts the story decades later: "And he brought with him the Holy Grail, and Spring, and the land became fertile again and the cycle of darkness and death ended."

And what of Merlin and his beloved? Well Merlin learns from Frik that after Mab's spells began to lose thier power, Nimue found herself free! Ever since, she'd been searching for Merlin. Dozens of years later, the now elderly lovers find each other. The ancient Merlin has one trick left, and only one. He makes them young again! As they walk away, Merlin tells her her "there's no more, that's the end of magic!"

The End

According to one legend the infant Arthur was thrown by the waves on the beach by Merlin's cave. King Arthur's time in history was in the fifth century. He is identified with the known history of a Celtic chieftain of the period who led his countrymen in the West in their resistance against Saxon invaders. Many believe that Arthur was of a mixed Roman and British parentage.

It is always difficult to prove if Arthur did exist but certainly there was a great warrior in the West of England who had some kind of fortress where Tintagel Castle, (King Arthur's Castle) is today. The original fortress has gone but archaeologists have found proof in their diggings on the Tintagel Castle, that fifth century citizens lived on the site. The replacement Castle was built between 1230-1236 & is now nearly 800 years old. Within two hundred years the Castle was in ruins & remains so to this day. Earl Richard of Cornwall paid for the construction of the Castle & it is owned by the Duke of Cornwall. For many years it has been managed by English Heritage, who are the agents for the Duke.

Ruins of Tintangel Castle

This breathtaking Atlantic Coastal Village, is famous as the legendary birth place of King Arthur. A narrow causeway links a windswept lofty headland, with it's dramatic ruins of a Norman Castle to the mainland, below is Merlin's Cave.

View on the path from church

Imposing view of Upper Wall

Dramatic View of Upper walls

View to upper site

View across to Ruins

Gateway to Tintagel

View from the Castle

Leaving the Ruins

Most photographed picture

Merlin's Cave

Please note; These photographs are copyright by Sir David Flower who took these himself. This wonderful person has let me use these beautiful pictures with written consent, so please respect him. (copyright used by permission of (http://www.tintagelweb.co.uk/home.htm)

Web set from

Glitter background from

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Cauldrons and Grail from

Glitter letters from